


Draw Your Arrow

by completelyhopeless



Series: Queen and Hawkheart [9]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Community: comment_fic, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-14
Updated: 2014-12-14
Packaged: 2018-03-01 09:54:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 380
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2768894
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/completelyhopeless/pseuds/completelyhopeless
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hawkeye prepares to carry out his brother's orders regarding the queen.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Draw Your Arrow

**Author's Note:**

  * For [scribblemyname](https://archiveofourown.org/users/scribblemyname/gifts).



> For the prompt: _[Any, any, draw not your bow 'til your arrow is fixed (50)](http://comment-fic.livejournal.com/559367.html?thread=78884103#t78884103)_
> 
> I knew that was going to be a Hawkeye story. I didn't know what until after I created this universe, and then I knew it was going in here.
> 
> It just scared the hell out of me to write, so I avoided it. And kept on avoiding it. And fell short of what I wanted, but it's done and no longer hanging over my head.
> 
> And, oops, it's way more than 50 words. I'm not sorry about that.

* * *

He could have killed her from a distance.

He figured that was what his brother wanted.

Hawkeye grimaced, slipping into the hidden passage leading to the king's room. He did not know what his brother wanted. He did not know what the purpose of any of this was. Why marry a woman only to kill her? He knew that the people had little respect or sympathy for the king, but killing his new bride would not gain him that. He had what he wanted—fear—and the people would still fear him after the woman was dead.

She had no great alliance anywhere to threaten. Her death was not political enough. She was not a bargaining piece or so beloved of people here or in her homeland to start a war. Killing her for that was pointless.

So what _was_ his brother hoping for in killing her? He did not think it had anything to do with the rumors about Hawkeye's supposed interest in her. That was Phillip's teasing, mostly, and even if it had gotten back to the king, he doubted it would have changed his plans for his queen. The king had told him to kill people he cared about before, and he'd refused. His brother knew he would, knew that was the one order that Hawkeye would never follow.

He would have pushed them into war with each other if the woman meant a damn to Hawkeye.

She didn't. He didn't trust her, and he didn't know what her motivations were. He knew she did not have her eye only on the throne, the role of queen. That was not her ambition, though most assumed it was. Something lurked within her, something dark and dangerous, that a simple quest for power did not explain.

She was something else, something he couldn't figure out yet, and so would not kill her with his bow, not at a distance. He needed to be closer, needed to find what answers he could before he carried out his brother's orders.

He needed to be certain of his target.

He killed, he did it for war or under orders. He did what was necessary.

The king was dead when he stepped into the room.

It was necessary.

He reached for his bow.


End file.
